Complex interactions between microRNAs and hepatitis B/C viruses

MicroRNAs(miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate the expression of many target genes via mRNA degradation or translation inhibition. Many studies have shown that miRNAs are involved in the modulation of gene expression and replication of hepatitis B virus(HBV) and hepatitis C virus(HCV) and play a pivotal role in host-virus interactions. Increasing evidence also demonstrates that viral infection leads to alteration of the miRNA expression profile in hepatic tissues or circulation. The deregulated miRNAs participate in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)initiation and progression by functioning as oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes by targeting various genes involved in cancer-related signaling pathways. The distinct expression pattern of miRNAs may be a useful marker for the diagnosis and prognosis of virus-related diseases considering the limitation of currently used biomarkers. Moreover, the role of deregulated miRNA in host-virus interactions and HCC development suggested that miRNAs may serve as therapeutic targets or astools. In this review, we summarize the recent findings about the deregulation and the role of miRNAs during HBV/HCV infection and HCC development, and we discuss the possible mechanism of action of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of virus-related diseases. Furthermore, we discuss the potential of using miRNAs as markers for diagnosis and prognosis as well as therapeutic targets and drugs.

Long non-coding ribonucleic acid W5 inhibits progression and predicts favorable prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND Accumulating evidence has revealed that several long non-coding ribonucleic acids(lncRNAs)are crucial in the progress of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).AIM To classify a long non-coding RNA,i.e.,lncRNA W5,and to determine the clinical significance and potential roles of lncRNA W5 in HCC.METHODS The results showed that lncRNA W5 expression was significantly downregulated in HCC cell lines and tissues.Analysis of the association between lncRNA W5 expression levels and clinicopathological features suggested that low lncRNA W5 expression was related to large tumor size(P<0.01),poor histological grade(P<0.05)and serious portal vein tumor thrombosis(P<0.05).Furthermore,Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that low expression of lncRNA W5 predicts poor overall survival(P=0.016).RESULTS Gain-of-loss function experiments,including cell counting kit8 assays,colony formation assays,and transwell assays,were performed in vitro to investigate thebiological roles of lncRNA W5.In vitro experiments showed that ectopic overexpression of lncRNA W5 suppressed HCC cell proliferation,migration and invasion;conversely,silencing of lncRNA W5 promoted cell proliferation,migration and invasion.In addition,acting as a tumor suppressor gene in HCC,lncRNA W5 inhibited the growth of HCC xenograft tumors in vivo.CONCLUSION These results showed that lncRNA W5 is down-regulated in HCC,and it may suppress HCC progression and predict poor clinical outcomes in patients with HCC.LncRNA W5 may serve as a potential HCC prognostic biomarker in addition to a therapeutic target.

Four New Dicaffeoylspermidine Derivatives From Lycium barbarum

Four new dicaffeoylspermidine derivatives, lycibarbarspermidines P–S(1–4), were isolated from the fruit of Lycium barbarum(wolfberry).The structures were determined by extensive spectroscopic(HRESIMS, 1 D NMR, and 2 D NMR) analyses and chemical methods.Dicaffeoylspermidine derivatives are a kind of major bioactive and characteristic constituents in wolfberry, and the discovery of 1–4 added new members of this family.